Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s return from a week-long London visit turned into a brief late-night search for his mobile phone after he realised that he had left it on a British Airways flight. The phone was found following a search on the flight. Eknath Shinde’s flight landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after a nine-hour return journey from London, the United Kingdom.
Shiv Sena MLAs Prakash Surve, Murji Patel and Tukaram Kate, along with party workers, were at the airport to receive him. Television crews were also present. Shinde spent considerable time accepting bouquets and speaking with television channels about the awards he had received during his London visit. He then left the airport and reached home.
It was only after he reached his residence that he realised his phone was missing. His security team was immediately informed. The police contacted the British Airways security office at the airport and sought a thorough check of the aircraft. They found the phone within an hour and handed it over to Shinde. A source close to Shinde said the incident was hardly unusual for him.
His personal assistants usually handle his phones. "He is always surrounded by people, handling files, reading and signing papers, often with a pen in his hand, and meeting people continuously. In the middle of all this, he sometimes forgets where he has kept his phone. The recent incident was just another instance of what he normally does," the source said.
This was also not the first time Shinde had misplaced his phone. He once lost his mobile phone when he was serving as the chief minister. It was recovered later. Shinde had left for London on September 5. During the visit, he received three awards: the ‘Commonwealth Leadership Recognition’ at the House of Lords, the ‘Statesmanship’ award at the House of Commons, and the ‘Global Pride of Maharashtra’ award from Maharashtra Mandal.
He also met cricketer Virat Kohli, visited a memorial associated with Dr BR Ambedkar, and even had a vada pav on the streets of London. He came back on September 12.
